Sprocket-wheel.



A. R. ANTHONY & RQIRELAND.

sPRocKET WHEEL.

(Application led Jan. 16, 1901,)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED R. ANTHONY AND ROBERT IRELAND, OF WILKESBARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

sPRocKET-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,570, dated December 10, 1901. Application Sled January 16, 1901. Serial No. 43,534. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, t may concern.'

. Be it known that We, ALFRED R. ANTHONY and ROBERT IRELAND, citizens of the United States, residing at Wilkesbarre, in the county of Luzerne, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sprocket-Wheels, of which the followingis a specification.

The p urpose of our invention is to provide a sprocket-wheel especially adapted for use in conveyer and elevator systems in which all of the parts subject to Wear are removable in short sections and may be replaced by parts of standard size, so as to make the pitch ofthe Wheelcorrespond with that of the chain, and said removable parts are so formed as to more evenly distribute the strain and Wear between the wheel and chain than in the ordinary sprocket-Wheel.

By means of our improvements a Wheel may be continued in use indefinitely and always in good working condition.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate our invention, Figure l is a side View of a complete Wheel made in accordance with our invention and showing a portion of the chain in position upon the Wheel. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of adjoining sections of the sprocket-rim, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the Wheel with the chain-links upon it.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the hub of the Wheel, and 2 a hub-rim, which is secured to the hub by spokes 3, all of said parts, as shown, being cast integral and forming the hub portion of the wheel. Upon the perimeter of the hub-rim is superposed a sprocket-rim 4, composed of a circular series of removable sections 5, each section, as shown, having a centrally-located sprockettooth 6 of less Width than the section and transverse depressions 7 in the front and rear of each tooth extending laterally beyond the tooth and adapted to receive the heads 8 of the central and'side links of the chain. The parts 9 of the rim-sections on either side of the teeth and between the depressions form supports for the links and shoulders against which the heads of the links within the transverse depressions bear when power is applied to the wheel or to the chain. The intermediate raised portions 10 between the teeth also support the chain-links. The rim-sections are each formed with projections 1l 55 upon their under sides adapted to fit into corresponding sockets formed in the face of the hub-rim, as shown in Fig. 2. The ends of the adjacent sections abut against each other,

and said sections are secured rigidly to the 6oV hub-rim by means of bolts l2, passing through bolt-holes formed between the adjoining sections and into the spaces between the spokes, said bolts being secured by nuts 13. As

shown, each end ot each section is formed 265.2%,...

this construction it will be noted that the 7o.

heads of the inner links bear against the sprocket-teeth, asin the ordinary Wheel, and

the heads of the outer links bear against the shoulders on either side of the teeth, thus distributing the wear over a greater area than is usual and correspondingly increasing the life of the parts.

In practice, owing mainly to inequalities in t the metal, it is found that some teeth wear out much more rapidly than others, and wheels 8o have therefore been constructed in which the teeth were removable and might bereplaced from time to time. Such Wheels, however, have not generally been satisfactory. With the heavy links employed in conveyer-chains and the grit and dirt carried around by them, as well as by the strain upon the chain when a tooth becomes Worn, the rim adjacent to the tooth also wears, and when a new toothis supplied the chain does not iit the rim, and 9o the result is as bad as before. We have also found that some portions of the rim Will wear faster than others, owing to inequalities in the metal, and that whether the teeth or therim, or both, be worn the chain no longer fits properly and the wear is increased at such points for that reason. To remedy these difficulties, we have constructed a wheel with a removable rim made in short sections, as described, each section having a tooth thereon, roo

so that when any portion of the rim or any tooth, or both,'become worn anew tooth and the adjacent rim-section of the correct size may be simultaneously supplied, and the pitch relations between the wheel and chain may thus be maintained. This is important, for the reason that if the pitch of the wheel and the chain-links do not correspond the latter will crowd and cause friction and increased lwear.

It will be seen that the hub portion of the wheel may be used indenitelyand an entire new rim or parts thereof supplied as required. The teeth and rim-sections being comparatively small forgings or cast-ings may be made nearly uniform as regards wearing qualities, and owing to the distribution of the strains throughout the heads of all four links the wearing parts will last for a considerable length of time without requiring renewal. As the chain-links are supported in the central portions between the heads, the wear of the rims beneath the heads is reduced to a minimum.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In a sprocket-wheel a hul) portion in combination with a sectional sprocket-rim and means for attaching the sprocket-rim removably to said hub portion, said sprocketrim comprising a series of rim-sections of suficient width to support the side links of the chain, and adapted to support said links, and having teeth of less width than said sections, and shoulders adjacent to the teeth adapted to be engaged by the heads of the chainlinks, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a sprocket-wheel a hub portion in combination with a sectional sprocket-rim and means for attaching the sprocket-rim removably to said hub portion, said sprocketrim comprising a series of rim-sections ot' suficient width to support the side links of the chain, and adapted to support said links, and having teeth of less width than said sections and transverse depressions extending laterally beyond the teeth constructed to receive the heads of the central and side chain-links, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a sprocket-wheel a hub portion having an integral rim, in combination with a sectional sprocket-rim and means for attaching the sectional sprocket-rim removably to the integral rim, said sprocket-rim comprising a series of rim-sections of sui`u`cient Width to support the side links of the chain, and adapted to support said links, and having teeth of less width than said sections and transverse depressions extending laterally beyond the teeth and constructed to receive the heads of the central and side chain-links, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a sprocket-wheel, lho combination with a hub portion having sockets in its periphery, of a sprocket-rim consisting of a series of abutting sections, each section having a tooth upon one side, a projection upon the opposite side adapted to [it into a socket in the huh-rim, and a groove 14 at each end, and means for securing said sections to the hubrim consisting of bolts extending through the grooves between the sprocket-rim sections and into suitable openings in the hub-rim.

5. In a sprocket-wheel a removable sectional sprocket-rim, each section of said .rim having a tooth G, a projection ll, and a groove 14 at each end thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aix our signa tures in presence of two Witnesses.

ALFRED R. ANTHONY. ROBERT IRELAND. Vitnesses:

J. B. DAVENPORT, F. 13. DAvENPoRT. 

